MMA: The 15 Best Trashtalkers of 2011

Welcome. Welcome, one and all, to the prestigious 2011 Chael Sonnen Awards for Oustanding Achievement in the Field of Trash Talking.

Yeah, I know the top spot is a little anticlimactic. Good thing, then, that there's a lot of trash out there to choose from. With the fighting and the testosterone and the YouTubing and tweeting and press conferences, well, it's a fertile trash-talkin world out there right now. Time to reap the harvest.  

15. Donald Cerrone

At the UFC 141 weigh-ins, it only took a few words from Cerrone to set off opponent Nate Diaz. Granted, Diaz probably flips his lid when he has to wait too long at a red light, but still, it made for great drama, and you have to admire Cerrone's efficiency.

14. Jorge Rivera

At the beginning of the year, Rivera's entertaining YouTube videos succeeded in working agitatable Brit Michael Bisping into quite a lather.

You have to think Rivera accomplished his goal when he landed a high-profile fight with Bisping at UFC 127; how else would Jorge Rivera land a slot in the co-main event of a pay-per-view? But it proved bittersweet, to put it one way, when he felt the Brit's wrath in a loss by TKO (possibly aided by an illegal knee).

(Photo credit: MMATKO)

13. Dan Henderson

Hendo didn't do a ton of trash talking this year, but he's still one of the pound-for-pound best in the biz. 

Who can forget, during his time feuding with Dana White, Henderson's hilarious blast on the pres, referring to him as a "creepy boxercise instructor" who had a "crush" on him.

Personally, I enjoyed Hendo's time coaching opposite Michael Bisping on The Ultimate Fighter. During an argument over gym time, calm-as-a-stone Hendo told a very miffed Bisping that he thought he had "the option to take the earlier time slot. And now I am exercising that option."

It doesn't read that funny on paper, but it was. Maybe you had to be there.

12. Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson

Rampge doesn't seem overly inspired on this front these days, with his smack largely comprised of variations on "I'm gonna whup his ass." Though his verbal battle with Jon Jones, in which he accused the champ of spying on his camp, was a memorable one this year.

It's evidence that one of the funniest and least-filtered guys in MMA can still bring his fastball when inspiration strikes. And if it doesn't strike, he'll just psuedo-motorboat some flirtatious female reporter.

11. Jason 'Mayhem' Miller

Who doesn't love the Mayhem and his trash-talking tomfoolery? 

Following a season's worth of smack, Miller lost to fellow The Ultimate Fighter coach Michael Bisping, which saw Miller continue the smack even as he got knocked around the cage.

Afterward, Mayhem was on the receiving end of a little smack from the head honcho. Showing he can take it as well as dish it out, Miller later said he agreed with Dana's assessment.

10. Frank Mir

A thinking man's smack talker, Mir has the perfect combination of brains and cocksureitude to excel in this arena. 

9. B.J. Penn

He may be retired, he may not be. But as long as he's still got any skin in the fight game, he'll be ranked on this list.

Penn's trash talk is a lot like his actual fighting style: When he's motivated, it's pretty tough to beat.

8. Anthony Pettis

When lightweight contender Gray Maynard questioned Anthony Pettis' UFC bona fides, Pettis responded with a strong diss of his own. The most effective part was that it actually rang true, with Showtime calling out Maynard for a perceived lack of charisma.

7. Rashad Evans

His Penn State-related comment toward Nittany Lion Phil Davis was not exactly a shining moment, but he is still a very generous man with the gift of gab.

6. Nate Diaz

Nate's trash doesn't always issue solely from his mouth. It's more of a full-body thing.

Before UFC 141, Diaz refused to shake Donald Cerrone's hand during an open workout. Words were exchanged, and thus started one of the juicier grudges of the latter half of 2011. Diaz gets the nod over Cerrone because, well, he won the fight, and because he also had some choice words for Takanori Gomi earlier this year. He won that one, too.

What makes the signature Diaz brand of smack so special is not any discernible creativity or "mastery of semantics" or anything like that. No, it's the pure rage with which it is delivered, and the fact that it doesn't end when the cage door closes.

5. Michael Bisping

The Count followed up his war or words with Rivera with a run on The Ultimate Fighter, during which he managed to get under the skin of fellow coach Jason "Mayhem" Miller and every American in the 18-45 demographic.

And don't kid yourself: That's a key demographic. 

4. Mirko Cro Cop

Cro Cop makes the list for one interview. But what an interview it was.

In a wide-ranging response to trash king Chael Sonnen, the hall of famer, who retired in 2011, said Chael is, among other things, "an idiot with a diploma in BSing."

3. Dana White

Not a fighter, but he can still sling trash with the best of them.

This is evidenced in part by his aforementioned blast on Miller, his merciless haranguing of former pound-for-pound great Fedor Emelianenko and about a million or three other examples—against fighters, reporters and pretty much anyone who irritates him—over the course of the year.

Arguably White's best and worst quality as UFC president is that everybody knows exactly where they stand with him at all times. And if that standing is not good, you get a full, unadulterated stream of molten-hot magma straight from the guts of Mount Dana.

2. Nick Diaz

What can smack do for you?

Like Rivera, Nick Diaz put his mouth to work, calling Georges St-Pierre a coward in the cage after his victory over B.J. Penn. The smack was so effective GSP asked to fight Diaz next instead of the previously scheduled Carlos Condit.

Of course, hilariously enough, Diaz only needed to talk himself back in after a refusal to talk in the first place forced him out. Most fans will remember that Diaz's own actions forced him out of a title fight with GSP. It's funny because Nick Diaz is a crazy person.

Nick's fight with GSP was again derailed when St-Pierre went down with injury. But now, Diaz and Condit will fight for the interim strap. After the Diaz family's tear of late, I know I'm not wagering against Nick at UFC 143.

Nevertheless, Diaz may not have been in that position if he hadn't let his trash flag fly. 

1. Chael Sonnen

I especially enjoyed his tangle with Canadian TV personality Michael Landsberg and his recent blast in which he referred to Lyoto Machida as "pee-pee mouth."

Ahhhh. Le mot juste.